Why detox when you can Meatox?

I’m not a huge fan of the ‘detox,’ so when someone asks me what they think about starting one, I always ask their goal. More often then not, they don’t really want to detox anything, but just want a simple diet plan that they don’t have to think about. The ‘detox’ isn’t even on their minds, but it sounds good, right?

 

What do detoxers and cleanse fans really want?

Instead of a detox, they tend to be looking for something that gives them a running start on their plan to lose weight, eat more quality food, or stop eating so many treats. In fact, they are looking for more of a reset than a detox, which is why we named our book The Real Food Reset and not The Real Food Detox.

Potential detoxers and resetters are typically looking for something quick and easy, that requires little thinking and few decisions. They also want to eat a little bit rather than starve fast, and to be on the plan for a limited amount of time, so there’s a clear ending in sight.

It’s also surprising how many people look at this as an opportunity to ‘prove’ they can do it, and the spartan existence on a restrictive diet seems a little heroic, even if your goal is exactly up there with Gandi’s.

 

What I don’t like

I don’t like that these short term, extreme diets don’t teach you much about anything, like what to do when it’s over? Also, they can be expensive, especially the juice bar detox deals or the multilevel soy protein shakes.

The ‘cleanses’ so popular on the internet might be inexpensive, but they boil down to drinking 800-1000 calories of sugar each day, which isn’t healthy (sugar is sugar, whether it comes from juice, honey, or sugar cane).

These extreme plans can be very misleading, as well. As we wrote in our book (The Real Food Reset), there’s simply no evidence that our bowels are impacted by pounds of fecal matter, spackled to our insides, and in fact, we’d be dead if that happened.

In addition, many plans claim huge amounts of weight loss, which might be true, but most if it will be water weight, especially in the first week to ten days of a diet (and that’s any diet, detox, cleanse, reset, or something like the Atkins Diet.).

Fact #1, eating less makes you lose water weight.

Fact #2, eating less carbohydrate makes you lose even more water weight, more quickly.

Fact #3, fat loss typically happens at the rate of 1-2 pounds per week, whether you have ‘water weight’ or not. So, it’s important to keep on your diet, because REAL weight loss (meaning body fat) takes time.

Fact #4, water weight doesn’t matter. Even super lean bodybuilders can gain and lose 10-15 pounds of water weight in a few days, and they look equally amazing to us at either weight.

Water weight doesn’t matter. Body fat matters.

 

A little bit on fasting

If you want to fast for religious reasons, then do it right, and do it for that reason. Keep in mind that a fast doesn’t have to be of all food, but can be a fast on desserts, grains, fast food, talking, Facebook, etc.

Just because the term ‘juice fast’ exists, doesn’t mean it’s any more valid than any other fast. Watch.

Meat Fast

There, I wrote it; now, the term ‘meat fast’ exists. Does that make it any more or less valid than your typical fast? No, and neither is a juice fast (or a sugar fast, as it should be called).

Keep in mind that no fast, detox, or reset is an ideal diet, which is why I don’t love them. Do they have value to some people? Sure. Try one, but just know that the physiological value of the process comes from eating less food, fewer calories than you need to live, eating no junk, and focusing on the healthiest, purist ingredients. Unless you’ve been prescribed a specific diet by an expert, you’re not really detoxing anything.

Assuming you’re into this reset, detox, or fast thing simply to kickstart your diet, shed a few pounds to get this thing started, might I suggest a plan that has a good chance of keeping you stronger and more satisfied than the empty liquid calories of most of these plans? Enter the Meatox!

 

The Meatox

Meat Fast Your Way to Weight Loss & Kickstart Your New Diet

This is really simple:

Eat Meat – Beef, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, game meat, shellfish, and fish. Choose one or all, but eat your meat. Lean or fatty meats are your choice, but I prefer you choose a mixture (fat is not your enemy).

Eat Three Meals – Eat three meat meals daily. Portions of meat at each meal should be the size of your hand.

Fiber Supplement – With each meal.

Water – Drink your weight (in pounds) in fluid ounces of water, each day.

Repeat – Follow this plan for seven days.

Read – You have to have a plan for Day 8. I suggest The Real Food Reset, because I think it’s the best plan in regards to health, but the best diet is one you can stick to.

 

Making it healthier

Adding these foods will not effect your weight loss negatively, and in fact will help you stay full longer and make eating more interesting.

Fish oil – Unless you’re eating a lot of fatty fish, like salmon, sardines, mackerel, or delicious herring. Take 3 capsules per day, with a meal.

Vegetables – No starchy veggies, like potatoes, winter squash, or sweet potatoes. Broccoli, brussells sprouts, lettuce, greens, onions, peppers, tomatoes, etc. Nothing sugary or starchy. Eat vegetables with each meal, when possible. If you eat veggies at every meal, you do not have to take the fiber supplement, above.

 

Healthier still

A major reason that people want to detox or cleanse is to clean their system of ‘toxins.’ Be aware that your body can do that just fine on its own, provided you don’t put junk in faster than you can clean it out. Focusing on the quality and purity of the food you put into your system is one of the best ways to be as free as possible from toxins.

Meat Quality – For those of you really wanting to make this about health, buying grass fed beef, pastured pork, wild caught fish, etc. is a great way to do it. The meat from animals raised closer to how nature intended is healthier for them and for us. Many stores now carry grass fed beef and the like, but buying in bulk from a farm (even on the internet) is a great option.

Water Quality – Drink filtered or purified water, or water that you know is clean and pure to begin with.

Organic Vegetables – A focus on pure healthy eating is not complete without doing your best to eliminate toxins and pesticides from our food’s growing processes. Grow you own, with something like the Tower Garden, shop at Farmer’s Markets, and choose organic when possible, especially for those veggies that fall on the Dirty Dozen list.

 

FAQ

Can I have fruit?

No

Is bacon meat?

Yes.

It’s hard to cook meat three times a day. Any tips?

Slow cook or roast 2-3 days worth of meat at a time, then enjoy the leftovers. Repeat halfway through the week. When you make your big batches of meat, make 2-3 types, so you’re not eating 9 meals of meatballs in a row, but meatballs a few times, but also some steak and pork loin.

Can I have a pumpkin spice latte?

No

Can I have coffee?

Yes, but it should be black for 7 days. No sugar of any kind.

Tea?

Yes, but no sweetener, milk, or creamer.

Diet soda?

It’s best to avoid anything sweet for 7 days. It’s more than the sugar, it’s the taste of sweet that you’re avoiding. Give it a week.

Can I use eggs?

No, that would be an egg fast. …but stay tuned for my forthcoming Eggcellent Egg Fast, in which I detail how to replace each serving of meat with one whole egg for each forty pounds of body weight (rounding down). Oh wait, that’s the details, right there!

Should I take a fat loss supplement?

No.

I’m on the road a lot, and meat is hard to come by.

No it’s not. Vegetables are hard to come by; meat is easy. God bless In-N-Out for popularizing Protein Style burgers, which led every major burger producing restaurant to understand ‘lettuce wrapped.” Say ‘low carb,’ ‘lettuce wrapped,’ or ‘protein style’ at most major burger joint and eat the results (no cheese, but enjoy the lettuce if you like).

But isn’t saturated fat bad for us?

No. Look here.

Can I workout on this plan?

Yes, but I suggest a lot of walking and a minimalist training plan featuring 2 days of strength training, using compound movements and only 2-3 exercises per session.

What about condiments?

Small amounts of simple condiments should be fine, but nothing sweet like bbq sauce. If you practically drink the ketchup, then skip it. The amount of ketchup and mustard spread on most burgers should be fine.

Herbs and spices are ok?

Yes, they are.

What’s that book again? You know, the one for my next steps?

The Real Food Reset

Where can I get it?

It’s available on Amazon in paperback, on Kindle, on Kobo, and B&N Nook.

 

 

I hope you enjoy your Meatox!

I feel like I could go on and on with this article, but this should be simple. Diets like this should be simple. Keep with the spirit of the program. If you’re looking for loopholes, then go away.

kidding…

…or am I?

Let me know how your meat fast goes.

Roland

 

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